EARL Shilton’s pavements are set to get a new lease of life, thanks to an improvement project.

Work to clean the town centre footways and remove years of grime started at the weekend.

Weather permitting, the work should be completed by mid-October and will be supervised by officers from Leicestershire County Council.

The improvements, part of a series being overseen by the Earl Shilton Town Centre Partnership, will be done on Sundays.

The partnership, formed almost a year ago, was set up to maximise the opportunities which will arise for the town centre once the Earl Shilton bypass opens and the amount of through traffic is reduced.

Councillor Chris Ladkin, chair of the town centre partnership, said: “I’m delighted that our series of environmental ‘quick wins’ is about to start. All being well, the footway cleaning will be followed by other environmental improvement works, including improved car park signs, seating and shrub planting.”